Draft Profile: Stanford S Ed Reynolds (usually) finds the end zone

Green Bay — Ed Reynolds didn’t know he was so close to the record at the time. Only later did the Stanford safety discover he was one half-lunge away from the NCAA record books.

In a 27-24 win over UCLA in 2012, Reynolds took a pick back 80 yards…to the 1-yard line.

He finished that season with 301 interception return yards. The 40-year-old record is 302. Scoring on that play would have also tied the touchdown record.

So close.

“I was frustrated at myself for not being able to get that last little half a yard that I needed,” Reynolds said Friday, “but I put the offense in a great spot to win that game and win the Pac-12 and go on to the Rose Bowl so I couldn’t be that mad.”

He then led Stanford to a win over Wisconsin. Now, Reynolds heads to the NFL.

He’s another next-tier option at safety for the Green Bay Packers. At free safety, Reynolds may be the best choice this side of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor, a player who’s been around the game and around the ball his whole life. That 2012 season, Reynolds picked off six passes, returning three for touchdowns.

He says this playmaking is rooted in being around football — his father, Ed, played in the NFL from 1983-1992 — and toting the ball as a running back himself for years.

“It’s just something where I feel like I’m an instinctive guy,” said Reynolds, who said he spoke informally to the Packers at the NFL scouting combine. “I feel like I have a good read on quarterbacks from watching film and being able to read offenses and go out there and play fast.”

In Virginia, Reynolds was an all-state running back in high school. He rushed for 1,314 yards on 154 carries. So a few schools, including Duke, recruited him as a back. Even Stanford’s David Shaw — the running backs coach at the time — thought about giving Reynolds a look on offense early. Still, Reynolds knew safety was probably his best position all along.

He views the position as multi-dimensional. He can affect a game in a multitude of ways.

So, no, he doesn’t necessarily miss the glory of running back.

“You have to be instinctual,” Reynolds said. “You have to be able to tackle. And then if you make plays on the ball, you get a chance to run with the rock a little bit. I think right now — especially in this day in age with how offenses love to pass the ball around — safety is one of the best positions to play.”

And two years ago, he channeled his inner running back on those interceptions. Juking, cutting against the grain and finding a second gear, he was the big play threat in Stanford’s defense. His 25-yard return for a score was the difference in a 24-17 win over Washington State. That 80-yarder lifted Stanford over Johnathan Franklin-led UCLA, 27-24.

Reynolds could not duplicate this playmaking in 2013. He only managed one pick last season with his 86 tackles. A piercing hitter, he'll also need to find that fine line in the NFL. Reynolds was ejected from one game for targeting — drilling Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly on a blitz.

Said Reynolds, “Part of it was Taylor Kelly let go of the ball and kind of ducked. I had my head up, had my head up completely, and caught him under his chin.”

Either way, this is obviously something the NFL cracks down on these days. All safeties have been on notice. Flags and fines are levied weekly.

Reynolds says football “is a game of angles.” He knows he needs to find the precise angles while playing fast. This is something his father taught him early on — run through your target with your head up.

“The way the rules are, you have to find a way,” he said. “You can’t really say, ‘I’m not going to do that,’ because you’re costing your team a play, getting suspended, costing yourself money and costing your team field position that comes with the penalty. So you find a way to go out there and mold a little. But it’s all about playing fast and finding angles and just running through guys.”

While playing for New England and the New York Giants, Ed Sr. actually spent off-seasons in the Army Reserve. That’s how he stayed in such top shape at linebacker. Conditioning was valued in the Reynolds household. Reynolds says he was always playing soccer, running track or just running in general. He always wanted to be a player who stays on the field in all situations.

And on the field, Ed Sr. taught him how to read formations, how to detect tendencies.

Next month, Reynolds hopes a team gives him a chance to roam a secondary. What makes him different than other safeties? Playmaking.